The term “heart dog” has become increasingly widespread over the last decade or so. Often referring to a special canine-human bond, a heart dog is that pup in your life who you’ve created a one-of-a-kind relationship with. One might say that a heart dog offers companionship and love like no other creature can. Let’s explore the definition of “heart dog”, and what exactly this kind of relationship encompasses.
What is a heart dog?
My heart dog is Wynston. This is probably no surprise to those of you who have been following our journey for a while. Although I have four beautiful, amazing animals, Wynston is my “one and only.” I describe him as “my everything, my world.” A heart dog can be compared to a human soulmate – you know that one person that you’ve found whom you want to spend the rest of your life with? A heart dog is similar.
I would absolutely say that Wynston is my canine soulmate. I literally include him in every aspect of my life. I take his well-being into consideration before everything. A heart dog is that doggo who you could probably never compare another dog to. I always say that I will most likely not get another Chihuahua when Wynston passes away because there’s no way one could compare to him. It wouldn’t be fair to that other dog because I’d have preconceived notions about how I’d think they should behave and act.
Some people may not realize they have a heart dog until said dog leaves this Earth. You may not understand just how precious of a relationship you have with a dog until it’s gone. This is understandable, but it’s beneficial to realize you have a heart dog before they leave you. Why? Because you can cherish and embrace that bond while it’s still in existence.
How do I know if I have or have had a heart dog?
I like to say that I love my dogs equally, but I love Wynston differently. He’s the one I snuggle with at night. He’s the one I NEED to sleep with in my bed. He’s the one I love going on adventures with. He’s the one I take shopping and bring on lunch dates. Do you have a dog like this?
If you’re still grieving the loss of a dog whom passed away years ago, they may have been your heart dog. My cat Edison ran away in 2013 and I still cry over him. I’m still grieving. He was without a doubt my heart cat.
A heart dog is that one incredible canine who comes around once in a lifetime and completely changes everything. That dog is your heart. They fulfill the role of offering unconditional love and they close any gaps of loneliness.
It didn’t become apparent to me that Wynston was my heart dog until Khloee came into the picture. I realized that I had an incomparable bond with Wynston. It’s become more and more obvious to me over the years that Wynston is my heart dog. I’ve embraced it to the point of encouraging others to delve deeper into their relationships with a heart dog because it’s such an amazing phenomenon. I want to nurture the bond I have with Wyn while he’s alive, that way when he passes I know that I literally lived my life with him to the fullest extent.
Not everyone gets to experience the relationship with a heart dog. I believe you need to be open to the idea and possibility. Perhaps you’ve had dogs for a long time but you’re still waiting for your heart dog to come into the picture. If you have or have had a heart dog, tell me about them in the comments!
My heart dog was our Dalmatian Mollymae. She passed away in 2011 at the age of 14. We adopted her from the Denver Dumb Friends League when she was just 1. Like your cat Edison I still grieve over Molly. She loved to be outdoors sunning herself but only if you left the back door open so she could come in and check on you. She was a great companion when you were feeling low. She loved to go for car rides and would sit shotgun in the passenger seat. Molly still hold my heart even though we have had or currently have other dogs.
I’m so sorry about the loss of Molly. I do know the pain all too well.
There is plenty of great dog information on this site !
Luna is absolutely my heart dog. There is something about our relationship that I wouldn’t expect from any other dog now or in the future. I also love Ralph, but like you said – differently. Because I had such a deep connection to Luna first, it actually took me a while to find the ways I love Ralph too. Now I’m so thrilled to have them both in my life.
I totally get that. I was like that when Khloee came into my life!
My heart dog is called Hoodie. I rescued him when I was 22 as a 1o week old pup flea ridden, malnourished, and with a puss filled sore on his back. I got him right before going through a really intense and emotionally traumatic time so maybe my bond with him formed so deeply because he was exactly what I needed to get through it. He’s almost 3 years old now and he is my best friend, my baby boy, my entire heart. When we make eye contact I feel like we are reading each others minds. My friends say that his personality is just like mine. He exaggerates his yawns, makes the same noises when he stretches,, and sits the same way I do! It’s so weird. If I wake up from a bad dream he outstretches his paw to touch my chest.
I think about him several times a day when I’m at work and cry when I have to leave him for more then a couple of days. I drive 6 hours to my parents house to let them babysit him instead of boarding him at a kennel because I know he would be ill with fear if left at a kennel.
I’m already fearing the day Hoodie leaves me. I want him to be there with me when I’m old and gray. I’ve loved dogs my whole life and grew up with family dogs but he is definitely my heart dog.
Elizabeth, you’re a dog mom after my own heart. Sounds exactly my relationship with Wynston. I would absolutely drive 6 hours to leave Wyn with my parents if I had to also. I fear the day Wynston leaves this Earth. I’m not sure how I’ll get through without him. In the meantime, I work to cherish the present moments and make memories. Thanks for sharing! xoxo
My sweet Simon was no doubt my heart dog. I knew it when he was with me, and I know it more deeply since he crossed the Rainbow Bridge earlier this month. I never felt so loved by a living being. No matter what my mood, that dog was there for me. We just got each other.
Wherever I was in the house, he was at my feet. The two of us had a bond that was so strong. We have another dog, but it’s not the same. He lived an amazing life and we had adventures all over the state of Colorado including climbing many peaks together. He was my heart and soul, and even though he lived to 16 years of age, I miss him so much. I’ve never cried as much or grieved as much.
Leslie, I’m incredibly heartbroken for you. It sounds like Simon lived a wonderful life with you, and a LONG one at that! That’s amazing! I will absolutely be grieving badly and for a loooong time when I lose my Wynston. Prayers for you. xoxo
My heart dog was Cocoa. Search Cocoa’ journey on Facebook and it tells her story for the last 6 yrs. I recently had to put Cocoa to sleep. She had stones in her bladder and because she was paraplegic surgery wasn’t an option. All I can say right now is I am totally devastated and my heart is shattered
Oh Debbie, my heart is breaking for you. I’m so sorry to hear the news. Praying for you during this incredibly difficult time. xoxo
When getting a dog you see a friend but when that dog turns into a piece of your soul and touches your whole heart they become much more than a dog. When you spend 10 years day in and day out with that dog you never actually imagine life without them until you’re told they have cancer and they CAN’T FIGHT IT! Layla has been my shadow her whole life, from bathroom breaks, showers, a sneak walk to the neighbors or just waiting on the curb for the bus. There will NEVER be another Layla, there will never be a 10 year span where I get to spend this quality time with my soul pet. I am heartbroken to say the least. Pray she most importantly stays comfortable and we can tell when she isn’t ❤ furever my soul pet🖤 Layla is my heart Dog.
Thank you for sharing your story of Layla with us!
I have my heart dog with me now as well, Duffy, my now 12 year old Havanese. I’ve always felt bonded to him differently, even with two children I still include him in all aspects and will do anything for him. He has had cancer, his spleen removed from a mass that was benign, and still runs around like a pup at heart and it melts me. I have two other dogs and a cat as well, I love them all but just like you this is a much different bond and love I have for Duffy, I refer to Him as my tiny little soulmate. When I come across others who love their fur babes just as I do him, it makes my heart so happy, thank you for sharing your story.
My heart is Roxy. She is a long haired dachshund and she is just the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. When she was a baby she was so scared of everything and she stayed against my heart most of the time. Through a lot of games, she came out of her shell and now she is fearless. My mom tells me our relationship is truly special because we just know each other in a way that most people don’t know each other. If I am upset or hurt it’s like she has a panic attack and she won’t let anyone near me till she knows I’m ok. If I’m depressed she is too and if she can’t find me, she will break down doors to get to me if she thinks something is wrong. She’s a very quiet girl so when something makes her yelp, I cry too and it’s almost like I feel it too. Nothing she could ever do would ever make me mad and I used to have a terrible temper. She saved my life when she showed up. I didn’t know how truly sad and depressed I was until her. She lit up my life in a way that goes beyond anything another person could give me and I think I’d literally do anything for her. Never had anything or anyone that meant this much to me. I have her paw print on my wrist because I don’t think I will ever come across this type of love ever again. She made me believe in love in the first place and I’m grateful for her every day.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Kim. It sounds like you do have an incredible bond with Roxy, and that makes me so happy for you!
My heart dog is Sleet. a lab mix. We adopted him 13 years ago from a local shelter. He was supposed to be for my 10-year-old son, but we know how THAT turns out. Anyway, Sleet and I have a deep emotional bond, and are able to communicate with each other in various ways. My husband passed away earlier this year, and Sleet has been a source of comfort, knowing when I’m grieving and needing a helpful paw. I call him my “White Shadow” because he follows me everywhere. Thanks for allowing me to share.
Amy, I am so sorry to hear about the passing of your husband. My deepest condolences. But I am so, so glad that you have Sleet! Dogs are an immense source of comfort in any situation, and that’s such a blessing. Thanks for sharing with me!
I lost my heart dog Harry on Tuesday 💔. I’ve never had a bond like this with a dog, and 12 years, 3 months, and 22 days together weren’t nearly enough. I cried for more than a month before he died, once it became obvious that our time was running short. I’m so broken hearted.
Oh my friend, I am so, so sorry for your heartbreaking loss. I’m glad you came to my blog and left your comment. Remember to take all the time you need to grieve and process the emotions.
Reading these comments has been so helpful and comforting – my heart dog has 1-2 weeks left with me/us (lymphoma), and it is so wonderful to see others put into words what I am feeling. Thank you.
My heart dog was Caesar. He passed with complications from surgery, Feb. 8, 2013, completely unexpected. The next day my next door neighbor, older lady, came over. I opened the door. She said, “I was right you’re one of the lucky ones” (I’m thinking this lady is absolutely nuts) She continued, “You found your heart dog… Everyone has dogs, everyone loves them, everyone is sad when they pass, but some of us are lucky, some of us find that one that can touch our soul. And no one really knows how you feel unless they have found theirs. No matter how much they say they miss their dog, you know the look when you see it”. I’m still thinking she’s insane!!! How could anyone know the pain, the loss, the emptiness, the absolute devastation that I was feeling!!! Through many trials and tribulations, Caesar and I, on more than one occasion saved each other. The helplessness of not being able to save him one last time was almost unbearable, I wanted to go with him… Selfishly, all I could think is who is going to save me now. I was empty…
Me little neighbor lady also told me that I would eventually get another dog (that’s it’s, this lady is certifiably insane, what was she thinking). Lo and behold a few weeks later I was guilted into taking in a rescue. No one thought he would make it. I agreed to take him in…I was going to give him a loving, warm place to spend his last days. He, also a pit bull, was used as a bait dog, his frail little body covered in scars, at 5yrs old – weighed 43lbs, his ideal weight was 80lbs, heartworm positive, pneumonia, ear cut open, eye infection and could barely walk. However, Julian lived another 5 1/2 years, took him a while, but he put on the weight, got his strength back. He fought a hard battle to live, but he won. I am so blessed to have had that beautiful soul in my life. I needed him as much, maybe more, as he needed me… I didn’t know what to expect from him. I believe all he knew if life was pain and suffering. I told him everyday he was the sweetest boy in the world. Absolutely no signs of aggression, worst guard dog ever, lol. When someone came in, he would make his way over and gently put his head on their lap. Never making a sound. He lived another 5 1/2yrs before losing the battle with liver failure.
Now, I get to sound like the crazy lady. Caesar was the love of my life and I knew that when he was here. I told him that all the time. I still mourn for him, it’s a loss like no other. I am not discounting the love people have for each other, but it’s different. Love for a person, love for a dog, like comparing apples and oranges. I also miss Julian, but I was thankful for him and thankful for what I was able to do for him. He left this world knowing what love is on Oct. 14, 2018… It took me a long time to realize my little neighbor lady wasn’t crazy, she was right, or maybe I’m just the crazy lady now. Her closing words to me that day “Dogs are God’s way of showing us that we can love again”.
So, to all of you crazies that have found your heart dog, “You are one of the lucky ones”, keep those words with you!!! We are only crazy in the minds of those that haven’t found theirs. I don’t mind being crazy. I still have his pictures up at my house and my shop. I still cry and grieve for him. He is still always in my thoughts, but all of that is ok. I was lucky, I found mine…
Wow, Kimberly. Thanks for sharing such an incredibly powerful story with us. We are so blessed to have known the love of a canine soulmate. We’re not crazy – God just gave us the opportunity to know what true unconditional love is.
My heart dog is Winnie. I got her following the loss of my dog Teddy, who I thought was my heart dog, but I had no idea the love I could feel for Winnie. She was a 4 month old beagle I rescued and she’s now 3 years old as of September. She’s the sweetest, most affectionate, cuddly dog ever. She loves playing with our other animals, or just getting the zoomies and sprinting in circles around the house. She immediately calms me down when I’m upset. She has some health issues, but to me she’s still perfect.
I’m so happy to hear that you and Winnie found each other! What a blessing!
I don’t feel the term “heart dog” is warm enough to describe my kinship with my little girl, Abby. I knew how special our bond was, I knew it within days of my wife bringing her home 11 years ago and truly, I cherished every day I had with her, savored every moment, while simultaneously agonizing about what I knew the future would ultimately bring one day. It’s been over two weeks since that soul wrenching moment and it’s abundantly clear to me that I wasn’t close to ready for this, nor am I going to be “okay” for a long time. To those of you who still have your wonderful, loving and irreplaceable canine soulmates, don’t waste a moment, enjoy every single second and show them all the love you can because there’s just not enough time. ☹️
My heart is breaking for you. I’m so incredibly sorry to hear about Abby. I agree that “heart dog” isn’t truly enough. Take all the time you need to grieve and feel those emotions. I often stress to people how important it is to create memories with your dog while they are on this earth. Your story reminds me of that. Thank you for sharing. We are thinking about you.
I’m still learning about this whole “heart dog” thing. But atm I think my heart dog is Marley, who belongs to my best friend. I look after her three times a week and every time she’s at my flat, she’s my little shadow, she follows me everywhere, she’s the only dog in my care that’s followed me to the bathroom, she is loyal to me and always lifted my mood when I’m low, and she has helped me a few times in the dark or I loose my best friend in the park, (I’m legally blind) she’ll come up to me and let me follow her back to my friends. It’s like Marley knew I was blind. My own dog Beau doesn’t do any of that. When I’m out with my best friend I always ask to walk Marley instead of Beau 😂.
I have a question about heart dogs. Can you have more than one? Like if Marley died maybe I find another heart dog?
Thanks for sharing that story! I don’t have personal experience with having two heart dogs, but I’m sure it’s possible! Since our lives are so long, and dogs don’t have the same, I do believe some people experience the love of more than one heart dog.
I lost my beautiful little Yorkie at the beginning of December to liver failure she was 13 and half, she had a tough life battling ill health from a pup so to get to 13 and half was amazing, even the vets would comment that’s she’s a miracle to be still here, even on the dreaded day the vet said as I walking in the room I have read Milly’s history and she truly is a miracle. (It was a a locum vet so didn’t know her)
She really was my amazing teeny tiny miracle.
On the 11th of December part of my heart died I miss her so much and have cried buckets I will miss her forever, she wasn’t a dog who was sensitive to my feelings in fact she was the very opposite and I felt there was conditions to her love if that makes sense and if I was ill or upset she never picked up on it, but I still believe she is my heart dog her personality was amazing almost human and extremely funny and very naughty. I lost my first dog 14 years ago and don’t remember it being this hard, my current Yorkie who I rescued 11 years ago follows me everywhere and knows when I sad and really does love me unconditionally I feel it and if people saw how she is with me that she would be my heart dog as much as I love her it feels different if that makes sense, I have never loved a dog as much as I loved my Milly there was something special. I do feel a bad towards her for not loving her the same because she sure does love me.
I am struggling with her loss but I know she would want me to have fun and get on with my life and not just sit around crying for her.
Today is the 1 year anniversary of my heart dog’s passing and I am typing thru tears. I hadn’t heard of the words ‘heart dog’ until recently and as soon as I did everything made perfect sense! I knew from the minute I set eyes on this little puppy, who wasn’t even supposed to be ours, that there was something so incredibly special about her.
We had had another dog (my breed is Old English Sheepdogs) who we lost at 14 1/2 yrs old. I was devastated when we lost her and prayed that one day she would send us another dog she deemed worthy of our love. As fate would have it, not only did she send us one, but two. Lucy and Hannah, sisters, from the same litter. Hannah was never meant to be ours, but she was rejected by a man who had basically adopted her before she was born. He was very specific about what he wanted and when Hannah was born, she checked all of his boxes except one. She was born with Heterochromia (two different colored eyes – one blue and one brown) so he rejected her because of her stunning blue eye. Now she had no ‘furever’ home.
We were then contacted asking if we’d be interested in taking her. Without hesitation we said ‘Yes!’ It was the best decision we ever made! So she and her sister came to live with us. They were like conjoined twins attached at the hip and shoulder. Never apart from one another yet polar opposite in personalities. Somewhere along the way, Hannah became my heart dog. It happened early on, but I didn’t realize it at first. She became my shadow. I couldn’t walk two feet without her glued to my side. She was always 100% tuned into my feelings each and every day. If I was having a bad day she was right there to comfort me. She would literally give me hugs. Stand on her hind legs with her paws on my shoulders and nestle her head against mine. She would sleep curled up next to me all night long, once she wormed her way into our bed. There were times that my husband and I traveled and our pet sitter said she appeared to grieve for me while I was away. She was heartbroken. In hindsight, I think we were each other’s soul mates.
The day after her 8th birthday I thought she had what appeared to be an eye infection. I took her to the vet that day and two hours later I was told they believed she had lymphoma!! We took her to an oncologist where the diagnosis was confirmed. She told us with treatment she may have 7 months. Without treatment, maybe 3-4 weeks. My world came crashing down!! How could this have happened?!! We opted to fight. We fought for time – for us and for her sister, but mostly we fought for her and her love of life and thankfully we did. She fought her battle with complete bravery and dignity and she fought for 19 months!! In and out of remission twice before she just couldn’t fight any longer. When the time came to say goodbye, I laid on the floor next to her holding her and thanked her for being my ‘special girl’ and for all the love she gave to me. When she was gone, I literally had chest pains. Without meaning too, she broke my heart in two.
Our sweet Lucy is still with us and she and I have become much closer. I love her with every fiber of my being, just like I did with Hannah. But Hannah was and will always be my one true heart dog.
Hi Mary. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your story with us. I’m in tears after reading it. I can tell that Hannah lived the most amazing life with you. What a blessing that you two found each other! I absolutely love hearing these types of stories, even though it’s never a happy ending. I dread the day I lose my son. It’ll be the worst day of my life, and I fear I won’t recover. Hugs to you. xoxo Amanda
I lost my heart dog suddenly this weekend. I am devastated. However, I find peace in the fact that I knew that she was my soul mate in dog form when she was very young. She was and is everything. My heartaches knowing that I will never feel her cuddles next to me in bed or hear the sound of her snores, barks and whines. She was only 6.5 years old. I am angry that she was taken form me so soon – I wish I had a million more days with her by my side. I know the pain will pass but right now it feels so raw. Those who have experienced the love and closeness of a heart dog are forever changed. Thank you for this post.
To provide even more context to her death I want to include that after she collapsed on a walk I gave her CPR for a minute and was able to resuscitate her. While still kind of weak, she returned back to her seemingly normal self (barking at cars, trying to climb on my lap in the car) while we were on the way to the vet. She had another catastrophic heart failure when she was with the vet techs. I am pained that I was not with her in her final moments. But I KNOW that I was given that extra hour with her –
To pet her and kiss her and tell her she was a good girl. Knowing that my ability to jump into action to give us more time together gives me so much peace.
Hi Valesia, I am so, so sorry to hear about your devastating loss. How extremely tragic. Thank God you were with her. She was absolutely loved in her last moments. My heart is breaking for you. Thanks for sharing your story.